Excluding the Broncos, there are 31 teams in the league. However, only one can have the title of nemesis. Here are the Broncos’ biggest enemies in the AFC, AFC West, and NFC. Out of those three teams, only one will can be called the Broncos’ nemesis.
Which Team Is The Broncos’ Nemesis?
In order to find a nemesis, one has to be completely clear on what a nemesis is. A simple Google search reveals that the term “nemesis” is either “the inescapable agent of someone or something’s downfall” or “a long-standing rival, an archenemy.” There are other definitions out there but for the purposes of this exercise, these two definitions will be the most applicable.
Essentially, in order to be considered a nemesis of the Broncos, the team in question will need to have given the Broncos a rough time in the past. Meaning, the Broncos will need to have lost at least a few games in recent history against the prospective team. Without further ado, here are the biggest enemies of the Broncos in the AFC, AFC West, and NFC.
NFC Nemesis: Seattle Seahawks
The Broncos are 1-2 against the Seahawks during the Pete Carroll era including a loss in Super Bowl 48. The Super Bowl loss was a beatdown of epic proportions, leaving an inescapable 43-8 smudge in Broncos history. The loss alone should be enough to prove Seattle’s villainy. However, Broncos General Manager John Elway’s response to the loss solidified the rivalry.
After Elway’s record-setting offense lost to the Seattle Seahawks’ defensive juggernaut known as the Legion of Boom, Elway bolstered his own defense during the ensuing offseason in an effort to put together his own Legion and the No Fly Zone was born.
The Broncos and Seahawks play Week One and it should be a fiery collision where sparks will fly.
Honorable Mentions: Carolina Panthers, Los Angeles Rams
AFC Nemesis: New England Patriots
The Broncos are 3-5 versus the Patriots since 2012. Interestingly, the Broncos have only beaten the Patriots once during the regular season in that time. More interestingly, it was not future Hall of Famer Peyton Manning who delivered the win but a then-promising Brock Osweiler. Manning’s two victories both came in the playoffs, sending Patriots Quarterback Tom Brady home.
Suffice it to say that the Broncos and the Patriots have had a long-standing rivalry, and both teams have been the architects of the other’s demise. The rivalry’s days are seemingly numbered as Peyton Manning is now retired and Tom Brady is on the cusp of his own exit. However, this rivalry still burns as one of the most intense intraconference rivalries in sports. If the Patriots and Broncos meet in the playoffs this season (they don’t play during the regular season this year), it will be a very familiar and competitive game of professional football.
AFC West Nemesis: Kansas City Chiefs
The Broncos are 1-5 against the Chiefs over the last three seasons. Head coach Andy Reid seems to come into every Broncos game one step ahead of his orange-clad opponents and it has been that way for the past several years.
They haven’t been able to get an edge on the Chiefs defense after Peyton Manning retired. That being said, the Broncos have reloaded and revamped their offense while maintaining the core of their defensive roster in an effort to flip the script. The Chiefs have a new quarterback in Patrick Mahomes II and so this season will be a new chapter in the Broncos-Chiefs rivalry. The question is: who will write that chapter?
NFL Nemesis: Kansas City Chiefs
The Broncos’ nemesis has to be their most common roadblock to success. The Chiefs have not only won the division each of the last two years but they have beaten the Broncos in each of their last five matchups in the process.
The Broncos are 1-5 against the Chiefs over the last three seasons.
In order for the Broncos to have a successful 2018, they must take care of business against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Broncos have to wait until Week Four to get their hands on them, but when the Chiefs come to town, they will be walking into the lair of one of the NFL’s hungriest teams.